Forever & Always
by VampireSponge
Summary: "I'm the freak among the freaks"-Natalie has been through different foster parents her whole life, never knowing who her parents were. Though her and her best friend, Lyle, are about to find out why. As they find out the secret, they meet new friends and enemies. Secretly, there's a traitor among them, but when Natalie finds out who, can she handle it?
1. Chapter 1

It was time. It was finally time. Time was wasting by the second; why was I still here? I grabbed my neon suitcase and hoodie, picked up my cell phone and called my best friend, Lyle. He answered on the second ring.  
"Nat, we good?" he said. I could hear the excitement in his voice.  
"Yes, we're good. You got the car?"  
"Yup. Mom isn't even gonna realize it's gone."  
"Kay, I'll be right out!" I said with excitement, grabbed my purse and put on my combat boots. I bolted outside, hair flapping in the wind, soaking up the drizzle that fell on my head, and headed straight for Mrs. Carr's truck. Lyle opened the door for me and we both sat inside, soaked and laughing. My gay best friend smiled at me, turning the radio on to our favorite Green Day soundtrack.  
"You sure you wanna do this?" he asked me for, like, the 100th time.  
"Yes, I'm sure. Don't you wanna find out who your father is?"  
"Of course I do!" he snapped. "But I don't wanna drag you along if you're gonna go back right away, bitching and moaning about how you miss Ray." Ray was my little brother, and I love to spend time with him. But I already told him goodbye when I put him to bed that night. He'll be better off without me.  
"Lyle Richard Carr, what is my name?"  
He smiled and answered, "Natalie Renee Holloway."  
"And do I ever back down from potential fun?"  
He laughed and said, "No."  
"So there's your answer. No, I will not bitch and moan, I already told Ray that I was gonna leave."  
"You better not cause I'm not driving all the way back down to New Orléans from freaking Long Island!"  
"Don't worry, I won't make you." I kissed his cheek. "Love ya Ly."  
"Yea yeah I love you too Nat," he said, kissing my forehead.  
"Let's roll!" we said at the same time, and Lyle started to drive us to our new life as potential demigods.

**A few hours later**

We pulled up by a small café in Philadelphia called 'Starbucks'. We don't have many down in New Orléans; at least not in the part that I'm from.  
He hopped out and walked to my side, opening my door. I smiled and said nicely, "Thank you Lyle."  
"Oh you're ever so welcome, Natalie." He said with a grin. He opened the door for me and we walked inside. I looked around and sat down at a small table by the door. Lyle sat across from me and I handed him some money. He pushed it away, shaking his head.  
"No, I'll pay for it," he said, pulling out his wallet. I felt a stab of guilt.  
"Lyle, you already paid for gas three times, and all the toll charges. Can't I just pay for this?"  
"No," he said stubbornly. "We're saving your money to buy us more clothes and books and," he whispered the last part, "weapons." I rolled my eyes.  
"Fine, fine," I muttered, but wasn't too happy. He grinned, looking as if he had won an argument. Whatever, I'm paying for SOMETHING, at least. I felt bad that he paid for everything; the plan was MY idea, and he's paying the expenses. Not fair to him, but he's just as stubborn as I am and we often argue, but somehow we managed to stay best friends. Thank God—I mean, thank the Gods.  
As he went up to get us some food, just then, a small group walked into the café, laughing and smiling. The girl had bright red hair and brown eyes, freckles and fair skin, staring at the one boy with almost a hunger. That boy had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, bangs and a light tan. He was chatting with two others, two boys. They looked exactly alike with brown hair and brown eyes, glasses and light skin. They were all dressed in an orange tee and jeans. The one boy, one of the look-alikes, noticed me staring and I quickly looked away, embarrassed.  
Lyle walked back over, his black hair clinging to his scalp and I gave a light laugh. "You're sweating, aren't you?"  
"How can you tell?!" he said, panicked. He blushed brightly and looked for pit stains. I laughed again.  
"No, I can tell because your hair is clinging to your head like a second skin. We need to get a shower, and soon."  
"True. You're starting to smell like onions," he said with a smirk. I faked hurt and gasped.  
"That's so mean!" I exclaimed dramatically, clutching at my heart. "You have wounded me!"  
I heard his laugh, but it was echoed by four others. I saw the group looking at us, and the blonde boy smiled at me. I looked away quickly to hide my pleasure, and started to eat my chocolate muffin and gulp down my vanilla mocha.  
"Oh. My. Gods," Lyle whispered to me and I looked up.  
"What? What's wrong?!"  
"Nothing, nothing," he assured me. "Just that I think I'm in love…"  
I laughed lightly. "Oh good gods, Lyle, with who?" I asked, trying not to show how I knew he wasn't.  
"With THEM," he giggled, nodding over to the look-alikes at the table directly across the café from us. I just rolled my eyes.  
"Wow, Lyle, just WOW," I said, shaking my head. "So when are we gonna get on the road again?"  
"After we clean up at a motel," he muttered, picking at his bagel. "I was kidding earlier about the onion smell, but I really do think that we need to get cleaner."  
"I completely agree, but just asking, how is a motel any cleaner then we are now?" He smiled and rolled his eyes.  
"PPlleeaassee?" he begged and I sighed.  
"Fine, fine," I muttered, looking up at the ceiling. He cheered and drank his black coffee.  
I managed to push a piece of my dyed blonde hair back before the coffee spilled all over my lap. I gasped, jumping to my feet and looking up at the person who did it. It was that blonde boy with the adorable eyes.  
"My Gods, I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, cheeks going a bright pink. I shook my head.  
"No, no, it's fine, honest. The stains wash out," I said reassuringly, giving him a smile. Then the smile faded as I realized that he had said 'Gods' and not 'God' like most people. Could he be just like me, like Lyle and I?  
"My name is Garret, by the way," he said, interrupting my thoughts. I just gave him another smile, trying to ignore the weird feeling that I was suddenly feeling deep within my gut.  
"I'm Natalie," I said back, holding out my hand. He took it graciously and the red-head girl ran over, gasping.  
"Oh my Gods, here, I'll help you clean off," she said, shaking her head at Garret. He just stuck is tongue out at her as she dragged me to the bathroom.  
Wow, all this drama for a person they barely know; making a scene and offering to help clean up? These were either the nicest people ever, or I just met a group who likes gang bangs.  
"It's fine, really," I insisted, taking the wet paper towel from her hands and cleaning up the mess myself. She just sighed.  
"So apparently you've now met my brother?" Brother? Her and Garret were related? Holy crap!  
"I guess," I said with a weak smile. "He's the one who dumped coffee all over me, correct?"  
She laughed lightly, eyes twinkling. "Correct. I'm Hyna, by the way. You're Natalie?"  
I nodded and smiled more. She seemed…strangely easy to talk to. I shrugged to myself and looked at her. "If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason that you guys all wore orange shirts on the same day?"  
Her smile faded and she sighed. "Yes, but it's a little too much to explain, really—". She was cut off by a loud booming sound, and plenty of screams.


	2. Chapter 2

Our heads both snapped up and she immediately dragged me outside the bathroom. The glass was shattered and Lyle was talking to Garret and the twins. He looked up when he saw me and pushed past a few aroused people all screaming and crying, heading straight for me.

"Hey! You ok?" he asked, hugging me. I hugged back, smelling the familiar scent of seafood and rusted brass on his clothes.

"Yes, I'm fine." I sighed. "What happened out here?"

"We don't know," one of the twins said, walking over. I looked up at him and he smiled.

"I'm Cyan, like the color?" he told me, holding out his hand. I took it and his twin came up next to him.

"I'm Mahogany," the other said, grinned and took my other hand, shaking it. I saw Lyle practically drooling over Mahogany, and it made me smile. But it still didn't distract me from the fact that I was practically shaking from having both of my hands shaken at the same time.

"Guys, we should probably get going," Hyna said in a rush. The twins nodded at her and they all rushed out, stunning me a bit. Wow, that seemed kind of rude! Did they really need to leave so suddenly?

Garret just sighed and nodded at Lyle, then gave me a smile, leaving. I felt my knees get weak and I shook the feeling away. But I couldn't shake away the feeling that he was just like us…but was he?

**6:32 a.m. the next day**

I woke up by the sound of a huge bang. Lyle was already awake and dressed, but had his headphones in and I could hear him quietly, and badly, singing 'So What' by P!nk. I put on my robe quickly and ran to the lobby. This giant creature stood there, extremely tall, with only one eye.

He bellowed out, "Where is Time girl!" He threw people into walls and broke chairs with this weird club/bat thing. Then he saw me, and all Hell broke loose.

"Ah, there's our guest of honor!" he cheered, swinging the bat at me and I quickly ducked, rolling away. He yelled out in anger.

"Hey batter batter, SWING!" he swung his bat again and I ran out of the way.

"SSTTRRIIKKEE TWO!" I yelled back, sticking my tongue out at him. He just kept yelling out in Greek, I think.

I felt my hair spark and I looked at it, smiling. I ran up to the giant Cyclops and punched his leg, watching him instantly get shock-absorbed, falling to the ground. He withered in pain for a few more minutes, before finally turning to ash and blowing away in the 'wind' (air conditioning). I looked at the bat thing and picked it up, and it instantly turned the size of an actual bat. I smiled and ran back up to Lyle.

"You just missed the COOLEST thing ever! How did you not hear the banging and the yelling and everything?!"

He looked up and pulled out his headphones. "I'm sorry, what?"

I rolled my eyes and threw the bat to him. He caught it and gave me a weird look. "What's this for?"

"Ya know how you took baseball back in like 7th grade?"

"Yes…?"

"Well now you have a weapon," I said with a smile. He just rolled his eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Nat."

We packed our stuff up and looked at the walls of the small motel we slept at during the night. It had the weirdest shade of purple walls, almost black glass, and bullet holes almost everywhere. Wow, New York is completely ghetto.

When we got to the lobby, I saw Lyle stare at the remaining ruins. People were being loaded onto stretchers and screaming, "It was a psycho giant attack! Some really tall guy! I promise!" Poor people. I wonder why they couldn't actually see the Cyclops for what he truly looked like.

We hurried and ran to our truck. Or, where it used to be. Mrs. Carr's nice little pickup truck was stolen by some stupid teenagers; I could see them drive away!

"Oh great. Just GREAT!" Lyle muttered, starting to walk. I rolled my eyes.

"Uh, Lyle? Ya know we can just catch a cab right…?" He stopped and sweared and I couldn't help but smile.

"Come on," I said, taking out my cell. "I'll pay for this." He started to object, but I cut him off. "I'M PAYING FOR THIS." He muttered a few words I couldn't understand, but I figured he was cursing me out. Oh well.

I stopped a nearby cab and we got in. I used to my cell to search up certain Greek gods and goddesses that I could be daughter of, according to what I act like. Lyle annoyed me by saying Aphrodite, and I punched him for it. No one calls me pretty.

He said I'm most like Athena, but I just shrugged and smiled, searching more about her. She's the goddess of war, weaving, and wisdom. Well I could probably start a war if I wanted to, but I'm pretty sure that it means strategies and stuff like that (I'm really a Greek nerd in real life, but Natalie is pretty close to clueless).

Then we started to think about how Lyle was. He smirked and called himself a son of Apollo, but I said he's like Hephaestus. He stuck his tongue out at me and nudged my arm, causing me to grin. In truth, he's cute, and I used to like him, but then I saw him crushing on my cousin Alex and…yeah. I kinda figured he was gay by then.

"So Long Island?" the old, Italian accented man said, looking back at us as he pulled up by a park. We nodded and he held out his hand. I gave him the money and we hopped out. He sped off and we shrugged. "Weird," Lyle said and I agreed.

We turned to the park and went inside, heading for the woods. We found a secret document that probably wasn't meant for the public to see, that said that the place where 'gifted' people were trained, was called Camp Half-Blood, home to demigods. I'm guessing that's what we were; at least, I hope we are. Otherwise, all this was for nothing, and it was just a coincidence that Lyle had never met his mom and that I've been traveling through foster parents ever since I was born.

We stepped over branches on the wet grass and ended up to where it was just dirt and mud on the ground, and more forest life. There were tall trees and flowers blooming, birds chirping and squirrels climbing. I loved the wild life; especially at early sunrise, when everything suddenly changes from darkness to light, and the beautiful creatures awaken.

As quick as can be, I heard a loud splash, then a familiar laugh. Lyle and I turned to each other, and then ran towards the sound. We stopped on top of a small hill, and saw a bunch of people in the water below.

One of the girls had bright red hair.

Hyna laughed a blonde girl laughed as well, and they both swam around.

"CANNON BALL!" I heard, and saw Garret jump into the water in a ball, splashing the girls, and they squealed.

"GARRET!" the blonde yelled and he just laughed, Hyna giggling along with him, but the blonde looked enraged.

"I had just done my make-up Garret!" she yelled at him and he just gave her an 'are-you-kidding-me' look.

"You're swimming around in water with make-up on? Really, I knew Aphrodites were a little excessive, but really?"

The blonde flushed with anger and got out, stomping away. Hyna couldn't stop laughing.

"Good riddance! I was wondering when she was finally gonna leave!"

Garret chuckled. "Yeah, Annie can be a bit annoying, huh?"

"Duh!" Hyna said with a smile. "But she LLIIKKEESS you!"

"Ugh, don't say that," he said with a shiver. She just smiled.

"So," she said quickly, "What do you think that Cyclops was looking for back at the Starbucks?" Lyle and I glanced at each other, and then back at them. Could it be the same Cyclops that I just defeated?

Garret shrugged. "Who knows? But it was obviously looking for some 'time' girl. Maybe a watch salesmen or something."

Time girl. That's what he called me. That Cyclops hurt a large amount of people, just to get to me? What could he have possibly wanted?"

Just then, a guy with hoof feet ran over. "A satyr," Lyle whispered to me.

"Come on you two!" the satyr said. "There's a meeting bout to start, and you two are wanted to join."

Garret and Hyna nodded, jumping out. Then ran with the satyr, still soaking wet, and laughing a little as the satyr complained about them smelling like 'wet goat'.

Lyle and I stared at each other. That was a satyr! That means that we were right, and they were demigods! Maybe we could be too! For the first time in a long time, I felt a sense of hope.

Then, before I could say anything, I heard someone drop to the ground, then more, and my vision went black.


	3. Chapter 3

"…let 'em go, Armando," I heard a voice say. I wanted to fidget and open my eyes, but I somehow felt that it would be better to keep quiet.

"Maybe," I heard a Hispanic voice say. "But Derek wanted—"

"I don't CARE what Derek wants," the first voice snapped. "They're fellow half-bloods; we shouldn't treat them like science experiments! They ARE people too!"

"Garret," Armando said hesitantly, "You're in WAY over your head. I know you're Zeus boy and everything, but Derek has been leader of the camp since he got here. Being Athena's son makes him a leader, and if he wants something…"

"Armando. Let them go, I know they're awake." I felt someone pinch me and I jumped, eyes opening.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" I yell, looking at Garret. He just smirked.

"Well good morning, sleeping beauty."

I just glared at him and he smiled, waking up Lyle. He woke up easily, smiling sleepily at me. "You're hair is a rat's nest."

"You're bout to look like a rat's nest if you don't shut up."

"That was weak!" he teases.

"Don't make me come over there," I mutter, standing up. He just laughs.

Garret looks back and forth between us, and he rolls his eyes. "Ok, so there are a few things that's needed to be explained…"

"You guys are demigods, or half-bloods, and we are too?" I say questioning. Garret just gives me a weird look and nods.

"Yes…how did you know…?"

"We kind of figured," Lyle says. "Since I can control, like, vines and stuff. It's weird." He frowns. "But Natalie…she's awesome." He smiles at me.

I blush as Garret turns to me. "So you're awesome huh? What kind of stuff can you do?"

"Well…I…my hair sparks when I'm upset. I can shock people and I caused a Cyclops to disintegrate. Plus, water isn't too hard to control either. When it rains, I don't get wet. And I always find gold and stuff on the ground, and see ghosts often. I used to think it was normal, til all my foster parents hated me for it. They called me weird, a freak. Also because of my ADHD and dyslexia. They're HORRIBLE to control!"

Garret just stared at me with wide eyes. "You control…lightning, water, AND death?"

"I, uh…I guess, I dunno. Is that a good thing?" I ask, confused. He looked at Armando.

"You speak of this to no one until we figure this out. You got it?" Armando hesitated before nodding, and then he ran out. Then Garret gave me a nervous smile.

"So…" he looked at Lyle. "I'm pretty sure I know who your father is. He's actually here; if you think you want to meet him." Lyle's eyes brightened. "He is? Who is he?"

"Well, it's a guess, but I think it might be big ole' Dionysus. He's the wine god."

"Oh that sounds EXACTLY like Lyle," I say with a smirk. He elbows me and sticks his tongue out at me.

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

"You!"

"You!"

We kept at it for a few more minutes until Garret finally shut us up. Then he took us outside of the infirmary.

"So this is CampHalf-Blood, home to the demigods!" he said cheerfully, opening his arms wide. "Far and wide, half-bloods roam to fight the battles of the unknown!"

"That's really really corny," I say with a smile, and he rolls his eyes.

"Come on, I'll show you around." He started to walk and Lyle and I followed.

"So," Lyle said, "How long have you been here?"

"Well I'm 15 now and I got here when I was 10 so about 5 years."

"Oh cool. And your sister the same?"

"Nah, she came a few months ago because she missed me so dang much," he said with a smirk. "Turns out she was a child of Zeus just like me. So she gets to stay."

"What about those twin boys?" Lyle asks, his eyes getting all lovey-dovey.

"They got here two years ago, and they're twin sons of Hecate." Garret gave him a weird look and I muttered to him, "He's gay and he finds them cute."

"Ahh," he says, as if he understood. But his eyes looked as if he saw him differently. Damn.

"So you two aren't…dating?"

"WHAT?!" we said at the same time, and then Lyle said, "That's what you thought?"

"Well you two were acting protective of one another so I kinda guessed. I didn't mean to offend you," Garret mutters.

"It's not that you offended us," I say reassuringly, "it's just a little shock to us. We've never really thought of it." Ok, that's a half-lie. I did think about it, and we kissed when we were little, but that was before Lyle realized he liked men.

"Plus, I'm a bigger fan of the dick," Lyle said confidently, and I did a face palm. Way to make a guy feel awkward, I thought to myself as I saw Garret blush bright and look straight ahead. Oh freaking joy.

"Uh…back to the tour." Garret took us all around camp, explaining all of the cabins and the training areas. He introduced us to Chiron, Dionysus, and this older gentleman named Percy and his wife Annabeth.

It was kind of awkward because Percy kept looking at me funny, but Annabeth kept slapping his arm when he stared too long. I suddenly felt extremely self-conscious. Did I look differently? Was I a freak to them?

"Percy, Annabeth, meet Natalie and her best friend Lyle." Annabeth gave me a kind smile and her grey eyes shimmered, but Percy seemed distracted. I bit my lip and tried not to take it offensively.

It was hard.

Garret noticed the way Percy was acting and quickly took us away, but not before I heard Percy say, "Annabeth, she's different. I can tell!"

"Percy!" Annabeth snapped, "You be nice to that girl or no sex for a month."

That really shut him up.

Garret showed us weapons and told us to choose. He let Lyle go first, and he pondered around for a little while. "Hmm…" he muttered and kept picking up weapons, shaking his head, and then putting them down. Suddenly he flipped around and picked up this silver and brown bow.

"Oooh I like this," he says with a smile.

"Aww what about your bat," I tease, fake frowning and he rolled his eyes.

"That's for close combat."

I laughed and he held the bow, trying to aim but it slipped out of his hands and fell. He swore for a few minutes, trying to figure it out, and then Garret cleared his throat.

"Uh, Lyle? You know that we can train you here so you know how to hold it…?"

Lyle did a face palm and shook his head. "Right, right…" I couldn't help but giggle and he stuck his tongue out at me. "Your turn."

I searched around, but most were too heavy or too light. I didn't really like the bows or the staffs or swords. They just felt…I dunno, weird. The spears were okay, but still felt weird in my hands. I couldn't seem to find anything good. Then a glimmer caught my eyes and I looked over.

A pure black knife, with silver writing on the red handle, was sitting there, glimmering in the sunlight. I went over slowly and picked it up, seeing my reflection in the black marble. I turned it over in my hands and read the writing.

"άρπαξ, Raptor," I say confused. Wait, how'd I know how to say that?!

"Raptor: Snatcher, or thief. It's a weapon, basically, of the children of Hermes. But none like to touch it; call it cursed or something."

"Cursed? Well that can't be good," I mutter to myself, flipping it around and watching it leave a black trail of glitter and I stare at the knife.

"This is my weapon," I say, sure of myself. It felt perfect in my hands and I smirked, twirling it.

"Well you surely look comfortable with it," Lyle said, smiling. I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Don't make me throw it at you!" He held his hands up in defeat and I smiled wide. "I win!"

Garret just laughed. "You guys are so weird…"

"Well now you're stuck with us." I gave him a half smile and he returned it with a big grin.

"I can get used to that."

That one sentence…it hit something in my gut. My insides felt all bubbly and I couldn't help but smile back to his beautiful smile…wait, huh? Beautiful smile? What the heck is wrong with me?!

Oh no…don't you dare Aphrodite!

Shit.


	4. Chapter 4

**Later that day…**

I walked around, trying to remember which cabin Garret told me to stay in. Gods, was it 7 or 4? Maybe it was 8? I have no clue…

"Need help?" I heard a male voice from behind say and I jumped, turning around. There stood perfection itself. Long, bronze hair and perfect amber eyes, and a perfect smirk to tie the look together.

"Uhm, yes please..." I said sheepishly, looking down to hide my blush. He tilted my head back up.

"You're the triple threat, correct?" he questioned and I heard myself sigh.

"Yes, I guess so…"

"Don't worry; I won't treat you like a freak. You're beautiful, so I'll treat you like a queen." He kissed my hand and I felt my face get even redder. He just smiled.

"My name is Derek, son of Apollo, and leader of Camp Half-Blood. I never heard your name, just a description. May I know it?"

His politeness shocked me. Obviously he couldn't be from New York; or at least not the city. Maybe he was from down south? But he didn't have an accent like I did; no southern twang. Just a North Eastern natural voice.

"I'm Natalie, daughter of Gods-know-who, and newbie." I smiled at him and held out my hand. He gladly shook it.

"I know where your cabin is, if you wish for me to show you the way?"

"Oh yes please!" I said quickly, then stopped and blushed, realizing how desperate I sounded. How much I wanted to punch myself right now….

"Follow me," he chuckled, putting an arm around my shoulder. We walked a little bit down until we saw the cabins again, and lights were on in some of them, but in some, like the Hypnos cabin where people probably always slept, the lights were off and no sound was coming from them. The Dionysus and Apollo cabin had lights on and people's shadows were shown through the window, showing people dance. The Zeus cabin had one light on and I heard talking coming from there. Well, shouting, since we were farther away from that one.

"Chiron said that you can stay in Artemis cabin," Derek interrupted my thoughts and I looked up at him.

"Is there anyone in there? Or am I bunking alone?"

"Nah, I think you got a cabin to yourself little miss. But if you get lonely…" He winked at me. "Don't hesitate to call me over." I giggled a bit at that he left. I hurried into the cabin as the sky got darker by the minute. I plopped onto the bed and pulled out my favorite book: Catching Fire. I started reading from where I left off, until I fell asleep a few hours later.

That's when I had the nightmare.

_**Nightmare**_

_Trees were being burned, and I heard screams from all around me. I covered my ears, trying to block them out, but the horrible sights kept my eyes and ears open. _

_There was a war going on, and there were lots of monsters and people getting hurt by the second. Not even knowing if it was true or not, I suddenly felt as if all this was my fault. As if I had done all this damage; caused people to die and people to be pained…_

_"It is your fault," I heard from behind me and turned around to meet his blue eyes._

_"Garret?" I asked, shocked. Words piled out of my mouth without my permission from then on. "You're the traitor?"_

_"As if it wasn't obvious," he said with a menacing sneer. "As if I would HONESTLY waste my time with trash like you. You're so gullible, it's comical." I felt my heart crack as he pulled out a sword and held it up to my neck. "Are you gonna fight, or stay a weakling little brat?"_

_I just stared into his eyes, feeling the tears shed. He just laughed. "Weaklings are easy to kill. No matter how important your parents are, they would love to watch me finish you. You're a disgrace; a failure. How can you even live with yourself?"_

_I shook my head and feel to my knees. "I…I don't know…please, Garret, don't do this…I'll do anything…"_

_"Begging? How low can you truly get?" I saw the sword come up, and he sliced the sword across my neck, and I fall dead…._

**I awake…**

I wake up in a ball of sweat in tears. I start to sob, hugging myself and rocking. Oh Gods, Oh Gods, Oh Gods! What a nightmare!

For once, I was thankful I was alone. Because now no one could see me as a mess; a pure mess. My eyes got red and puffy, and my nose clogged with snot. I made blubbering sounds like a baby, and I felt a light hand on my shoulder. I looked up.

A young woman was standing there with long brown hair like mine, but pretty blue eyes. She was basically glowing, and had on a white dress with gold belts and a cape-thing. Her makeup was perfect; it looked natural!

"Hello, Natalianna," she whispers, pushing back my hair from my face. That name sounded weird…it was like mine, but it wasn't…was it? Wait, how do I not even know my own name?

"Natalianna? But, my name is Natalie…"

"Right," she said with a smile. "I guess you go by that instead. Natalianna is a special name, I suppose. And different as well." She sat next to me.

"Who are you?"

"I have plenty of names, but most know me by Artemis or Diana. I honestly prefer Artemis in this form, though. But, I don't want you to call me Artemis."

"Then what do I call you?"

"Until you know who I truly am to you, call me huntress."

"Who you are to me? What do you mean by that?"

"That, dear, you will figure that out soon enough." She smiled at me and kissed my forehead. "Good night, Natalie. Do not fright, I promise you shall not have another nightmare as long as I am here for you."

"Thank you," I whisper, shocked at how kind she was being to me. She gave me a kiss on the cheek before standing up and disappearing. I lay down on my bed and stared at the ceiling for a few moments. Then my eyes started to droop and I fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**I just realized that in the last chapter, I said that Derek was a son of Apollo, when I meant Athena. Sorry XD**

**If any of you guys have any questions, don't feel shy to PM me. I'll try to answer any questions you have :)**

I woke up the next day with the sun shining down on me. I couldn't help but groan and cover my face with the blanket.

Until I remembered what happened last night.

I shot up straight and felt myself start to hyperventilate. Was that real? Or was all of it just a dream? Artem—I mean, huntress, couldn't have truly been here…could she have been?

"Natalie!" Lyle yelled outside the door and opened my door. His dark hair was a mess and his eyes smiled at me as his lips did. "Good, you're awake! Now come on, it's breakfast, then training!" With that, he slammed the door or his way out. I groaned to myself and flopped back onto my bed, covering myself with the blanket again.

I hate…hate…HATE waking up…

Gods Dammit I have to actually train today…with Garret and Derek. That sure as hell got me moving.

I got on a simple pair of grey sweats with a black tee and my high tops; nothing too special, but easy to move in, and still made me look slightly presentable. I brushed my waved hair easily and put on my bracelet and earrings. Then I went outside, into the damned light. Why the HELL did it have to be so freaking bright?

"…it's the freak," I heard a girl whisper and I looked over. The brunette blushed and quickly pulled her and the girl she whispered to away. I felt myself gulp and slouch a little. Even among the freaks, I'm still a freak. Doesn't that make sense with my bad luck?

I ran fast to where I saw people eating; I couldn't remember the name. I probably should've paid attention during the tour, but I have a short attention span…ooh a butterfly!

"Natalie!" I heard a male voice call, and I looked up to see Garret and Hyna, waving me over. I smiled and sat with them and couldn't help but notice how Mahogany and Cyan were so wrapped up with Lyle that they barely noticed I was here.

AWW!

"Sucks that your all alone, huh Nat?" Hyna asked, sighing sadly. I turned to look at her and shrugged.

"Yeah, it's kind of lonely, but it has its advantages. I can have space; time to think, and not have to be calm because someone is asleep in the other bunk," I explain, giving her a shy smile. It's also good because when I'm alone, no one can see me crying like the little baby I am…

"…pancakes or French toast?" I faintly heard Garret ask as I was lost in thought. I snapped back to reality and blurted out, "French toast, extra syrup."

He just smiled at me. "Perfect choice," he told me as it appeared on my plate. I gave him a confused look and he laughed and Hyna explained it all to me. I nodded as if I understood, but I didn't really care. If I can make food appear whenever, fuck it I'm HAPPY!

I ate it all up until I was full. Then I drank my orange juice quickly, relaxing. I sooo didn't wanna move, though I knew that I would eventually have to.

"Hello, Natalie," I heard a familiar voice say, and I turned around to see redhead Derek smiling at me. I smiled back and Garret cleared his throat, causing Derek to give him a look. Wow…are guys…fighting over me? Well, not fighting yet…but I think they might. Cool!

"Hey Derek," I said, jumping up. "I'd love to stay and chat but I have to get down to the training field. I'll see you guys later!" I told them and skipped over to Lyle. "You ready?"

He looked up and nodded. "Yup, let's go," he said and stood up with me. He waved to the twins and we walked down.

"So you and the boys are hitting it off," I say with a smile. He swoons a bit.

"Yeah…Mahogany is so adorable."

"Ask him out," I tell him, nudging his arm. He just blushes and shakes his head.

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know if he's gay like that or not…What if I lose him as a friend as well?"

"You don't know unless you try." I smirk and he sighs.

"Fine, fine! I'll ask out Mahogany when you ask out Garret or Derek."

"Hey hey, who said I liked them?"

"Who do you like?"

"Garret…Derek…uh…I dunno! Shut up!"

He laughs and takes his bow and arrow, aiming at the target. It ends out kind of sloppy, bow not hitting the target at all, but hitting the tree next to it. He groans and keeps trying. I sit on the grass watching him, not sure how to practice with a knife.

"Need some help?" I hear Hyna say from behind and I nod. She helps me up and pulls out her long sword.

"You practice with a knife the same way you would with a sword: like it's a part of you. The knife, act as if it is connected to your arm, part of you…" she keeps talking and we end up battling. It's harder since the knife is so small, but I manage pretty well.

"Strike here…block…duck…" she explains everything as we go, and I can feel a crowd watching, but I tried to ignore them, and failed. Knowing that people were watching me made my fighting a little worse, but I was strangely able to keep blocking and striking at Hyna.

I heard kids making bets over who were gonna win. Most were on Hyna, but I heard people say I was. The crowd got bigger as our fighting got more intense.

After a while, I managed to make her drop her sword. People stared, some gaped, and a few cheered—the ones who bet on me, I'm guessing.

She smiled at me, nodding her head slightly. "Amazing, Natalie. I've never seen a newbie do so well whenever I train them. You've never held a knife before?"

"Well I have, but it was a stake knife. Against a rapist," I say quietly and she nods, not wanting to get into my private business, thank God.

Suddenly, she stopped smiling, and the people who were talking or murmuring stopped. They all stared at something over my head. I looked up.

"A bow? What does that mean?" I ask, looking back at Hyna. She didn't answer, and for the first time, Chiron walked over to me and bowed.

"I am sorry I have not made myself known sooner, I have been dealing with…family business. My name is Chiron." He looked up at me and said, "And welcome to our camp, Natalie Renee, daughter of Artemis."


	6. Chapter 6

I was glad to see that I wasn't the only one staring in shock and disbelief.

"Is that even POSSIBLE?" a girl yelled, and many people followed:

"She's the maiden, it can't be true!"

"Liar, I don't believe it!"

"It's just a joke…right?"

"She can't be THAT special," I heard the girl, Annie, call out. Somehow, her comment hurt worse then all the others, because hers was truly meant to hurt me.

"Well, it is true," Lyle snapped. "Now get over it!"

"Wait," Hyna whispered, but that whisper caused everyone to quiet down. "It's not over…"

I looked above my head to also see a clock, signaling time. Time. Time girl. But Artemis is a huntress. Who's time…

"Oh my Gods," I heard Chiron mutter, then he looked back up at me. "Forgive me, Natalie, for I have seemed to have gotten your title wrong. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood Natalie Renee, goddess daughter of Kronos and Artemis."

That sure as hell shut up everybody.

Then, a small girl piped up and asked, "Wouldn't being the daughter of Kronos make her a titaness, not a goddess?"

"Yeah!" a bulky boy said, "So being a titaness would make her a traitor! She'll help her father!"

Many people agreed and gave me death glares, and I just shrunk back. I've been here about two days and I'm already the loser everyone hates for something that I DIDN'T do, or WON'T do!

"Shut up!" Garret yelled, coming to my defense. "She just learned about this stuff yesterday! She's not a traitor, don't judge her for her father!"

"She's gonna side with him sooner or later!" Annie yelled. "Let's just get her out of the way now!" She held a sword close and Garret just glared at her.

"Don't you dare!" Hyna screamed, standing in front of me. "You wanna hurt her, you're gonna have to go through me!" She pulled out her sword and I felt tears come to my eyes.

"No…no guys, it's fine," I whisper, taking a step back. "I'll leave…"

"No," Cyan objected. "They're just being assholes."

"She's gonna get us killed!" a dark skinned girl snapped, standing with Annie.

"Oh shut up, Sandy!" Mahogany yelled. "You're a dumbass so your opinion doesn't count!"

Everyone kept arguing, and I vaguely saw Lyle back away slowly, then run for the woods. I started to cry. Am I such a freak, that even my best friend has to leave, because he's so embarrassed to be seen with me?

My feet started to back me away automatically, and I ran to my cabin, slamming the door. I fell to the ground and cried. Gods dammit why am I such a baby? I shouldn't let this get to me…but it is.

"I'm a freak," I yell at the top of my lungs, standing up and grabbing a book and throwing it against the wall. Papers fly, but I ignore it and grab my suitcase. Nobody wants me, why should I stay? I'm just going to get everyone, including myself, hurt. I don't want that. So I stopped, packed two outfits and deodorant, and a few small things, in a book bag. I put it on my bed and laid down, waiting for nightfall.

**Nightfall**

Almost all the lights were off in all the cabins, so I figured it was my time to go. I grabbed the bag and went outside, making sure that no one was following me. I relaxed when I saw no one and headed for the front gate.

"Hey, where ya going?" I heard Hyna say from behind me and I jumped, looking back at her.

"Oh no where," I lied and kept walking.

"Mind if I come?"

"Nah, get your sleep."

"I'm not tired." She walked next to me and I just closed my eyes, sighing. When I opened my eyes, I noticed she was smirking.

"I kinda figured that you would try to leave, so I made sure to check up on you." She stopped me and put her hands on my shoulder. "You shouldn't let it get to you so much. They're just jealous that you have so much power, when most of these losers have none."

I shrugged. "They have good reason to hate me. I'm a freak."

"No you're not! You're just…special."

"Same thing," I muttered and she shook her head.

"Stop it, Natalie. I know it must suck, finding this stuff out, but it's hard on all of us. Some want to be children of some gods, and get others."

"I'm a daughter of the Titan of time, Kronos, the worst in history!"

"That's not completely true…"

"Look at the facts, Hyna. Everyone is gonna hate me. Some war is gonna start and I'm gonna fail. And Garret is against us, and I don't know what to do—"

"Wait, wait, wait," Hyna cut me off. "Garret is against us? Like he's the bad guy?"

"….Yes. In my nightmare he was…."

"Natalie, I don't mean to be rude, but I know my brother. He's pure at heart, and he really likes you."

"What?" I looked at her and she stops, blushing lightly.

"Oh shoot…sorry…I wasn't supposed to say anything…"

"No, you weren't!" Garret yelled from behind us and we both jumped, Hyna squealed a bit.

"I'm sorry!" she laughs and he rolls his eyes, pushing her.

"Oh so you like me?" I tease him, poking his arm and he blushes bright red.

"Uh…maybe…" he covers his face and I smile bright, hugging his waist. He looked down at me. "Oh hello."

I looked up at him and smiled and he smiled back. He leaned down and Hyna groans. "Oh EWW!"

We laugh and pull away and I realize that I was happy. Huh. Maybe I do belong here…? Ugh, life is freaking complicated!


	7. Chapter 7

Some people still hate me, thought I didn't expect that to change. Annie has made half of the camp hate me, but thankfully Lyle, Garret, Hyna, Derek, Mahogany, nor Cyan were apart of that group. They all accepted me, and that really made me happy.

Chiron and Dionysus were gone, some say they went on a 'business trip', and others said they took a vacation, but no one knew for sure what truly happened. I wish I knew, because now we're stuck with Percy Jackson who doesn't seem to quite like me, and Annabeth Chase-Jackson who doesn't seem to get enough of me.

Now that I know who my parents are, the camp has been a lot harder on me. Instead of trying to fight my father like the Gods did, they expected me to join him. And now most of them think that Artemis is joining him, and that's how I was born, when in reality, my mom was raped by him and THAT'S how I was born.

It's nice, knowing some of my past, and why I never knew my parents. Artemis gave me up to foster parents so I wouldn't be convinced to join my father and fight the gods. So apparently, I'm pretty powerful, but I don't know how to use my powers, and there's no one out there to teach me.

Fuck.

Well, there is, but he's the one I'm trying to fight. So my father is the only out there who can teach me to use my powers, when I'm trying to use them against him.

Double fuck.

Oh, and did I mention the big war that's starting up? Yeah, so I'm gonna have to fight my father real soon, and now he's getting to full power. Instead of being an easy opponent that I actually have a CHANCE of defeating, I'm stuck battling one of the most challenging opponents in the universe.

Triple fuck.

Well one good thing is coming out of this: Garret and I are a thing. Well sorta. He hasn't actually asked the question, but we hang out and act like one. He's just way to shy to actually ask me out, but we've gone over the fact that he likes me, and I kinda like him.

Kinda. Just, kinda.

"So, you wanna practice water, lightning, death, or hunting today?" Mahogany asks me, finishing up the braid in my hair. I shrug and look at myself in the mirror, pleased that he's amazing at styling.

"I'll probably just go with lightning today, since that one is the one I'm ok at." I stand up and he nods, taking my hand. "Come on; let's go find Garret or Hyna." I nod and we run out to the Zeus cabin.

"Guys?" I call, and feel a hand on my arm. We both scream and Cyan just laughs, hugging me.

"You're so easily scared, Nat. How do you survive?" He smiles and I whack his lanky arm.

"BOO!" Hyna and Garret both yelled from behind us three, causing Cyan to shriek like a girl. He blushed when he saw it was them, and tried to regain his composure as Mahogany and I laughed our butts off.

"How do you survive Cys?" I tease and he rolls his eyes, sticking his tongue out at me. I stick mine back out at him, and then we laugh some more.

"So what's for today, Nat? Death, hunting, lightning, or water?" Hyna asks, standing beside me. We've gotten a lot closer, and she's like my best friend now. Lyle doesn't seem to hang out with us a lot, but when he does, he just focuses on Mahogany and Cyan, leaving me in the dust.

"Lightning," I tell her and she grins.

"My department!"

"Hey, mine too!" Garret interrupts and she steps on his foot, gives him a look, and then smirks. He just rolls his eyes.

"Still my department as well. You know, we ARE related."

"Though I wonder how," I say, laughing, and Mahogany picks me up, putting me on his back. I wrap my arms around his neck and yell, "Onward my trusty stead!"

"Shush," he tells me and I zipper my lips, causing him to smile. The five of us all walk towards the woodsy part of camp quietly, trying not to be seen.

Yeah, when does that ever happen?

"Garret!" Annie calls, and he just swears quietly before turning around.

"What?" he says emotionlessly, and she stops directly in front of him, giving a seductive smile and a wink.

"I was hoping that maybe tonight we could, uhm, ya know…catch up. I've been dealing with a lot of stuff, leading camp with Derek, and trying to practice my battle strategies for the WAR—" she gives me a pointed look before continuing, "—that someone caused. So tonight, 7 o'clock?"

He just stared at her, and then shook his head. "Thanks, but—"

"Oh you're welcome! See you tonight," she kisses him on the cheek, glares at me, waves to the others, and then runs off.

"Well. I'm surely not showing up for that tonight," he says laughing, and I smile. He wraps his arm around my waist, lift me off of Mahogany, and we walk further towards the woods. It's getting darker, so it's most likely around 5 or 6 in the afternoon. Or like in Spanish, the language that I'm learning: Son las cinco en punto de la tarde (it's five o'clock on the dot in the after noon :) ).

We made our way through the jagged trees and branches of the tree nymphs in their tree forms. I heard Hyna trip a few times, and I couldn't help but crack a smile. And every time she would slap my arm. So, it was fair.

"Are we gonna train in the meadow or on the rocks by the labyrinth?" Cyan asked, and I looked at Garret. He shrugged, and smiled at me.

"Hey, it's your training, you can decide where to go."

"I like the meadow better. By the rocks…I just feel weirded out, ya know?" I tell them and they all nod. "So then the meadow."

The walk there was short, but I felt like I was being watched. I looked around and felt the hair on my arms stand up. There in the trees, stood a humongous creature, with one eye. The male Cyclops yelled and threw his club at us.

The last thing I remember is Garret yelling, "NATALIE!" before my world went black.


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm soooo sorry for how long I didn't post. I've been having a major writer's block lately, so if this chapter doesn't really make sense, I'm sorry. Plus I wrote a chapter for Kyward The Fool's 'The Demigod Games'. Check it out; it's a REALLY good story :)**

Cold. It was cold. That's all I could feel. It was cold.

"…yes, it's her!" The hiss was hard to hear, but manageable. It was my mother.

"So it's my niece? Are you positive?" That voice was warm; I could feel the heat on my skin. "I don't wanna heal a daughter of a titan if she isn't yours."

"Apollo!" my mother snapped. "It's my Natalianna! I know it!"

"Fine, fine! Don't get your panties in a twist!" I felt hands on my stomach, and warmth. Suddenly I felt engulfed in flames, and I sat up straight, eyes opening. My mother smiled at me.

"Ah, she's awake." She hugged me. "Good morning sleeping beauty."

I pushed her back. "Mom? Where am I?"

"Oh, just visiting some family." She nodded at Apollo. "That's your uncle." He nodded at me.

"Uh, hi?" I said wearily, then paused and looked at Artemis. "I actually have a few questions for you."

"Hold on, sweetheart. Not here." She helped me up and I stumbled a bit.

"Whoa…" I shook my head. "I feel kinda dizzy…"

Apollo held me steady, smiling. "Most faint as soon as they stand. You are truly a goddess."

"Apollo!" My mother said angrily.

"What? It's true! You know it!"

"Shut up."

He shrugged and I looked at Artemis. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about…." She stopped me and we ran out. Apollo followed, looking around hesitantly, before we got in a cab.

"Ok, honey. Ask away."

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" I exploded, jumping up out of my seat and hitting the hood of the taxi. I groaned and sat back down. "Are you fucking insane?"

She just stared at me. "What are you talking about?"

"You know DAMN well what I'm talking about, MOTHER! My father? KRONOS?! Are you serious?! What on Earth were you THINKING!"

"Careful," my uncle warned, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I wouldn't talk to a goddess that way."

My mother just shook her head. "Apollo, its fine." She took a deep breath, and I could tell she was trying to keep a hold on her anger. "Your father…your father wasn't my lover. He was my rapist, actually. Horrible memories of that, things I will never get rid of, though I wish I could. You were, yes, an accident…but now you are here. And you are powerful."

"So what am I? A freak of nature?"

She just smiled at me. "No. There are many children of titans and gods, Athena for one."

"Wasn't she just…like…born from Zeus's head?"

"Yes, but she was born by her mother who was trapped in his head. Long story." She shrugged and looked out the window. "My daughter, my Natalianna, I am new to this motherly thing. It is truly a complicated process, harder then you may think. So I am trying, just for you. I abandoned my huntresses for awhile, just to try. I am trusting Thalia to lead for some time, while I try to work harder with helping you."

"Mother, I can handle myself," I said while blushing. I wasn't a baby…but I guess it's nice to know that my mother actually cares about me.

"Not against your father. He will make you join him, or destroy you. You are powerful, and it's hard to decide if your more powerful then my own father, Zeus."

Lightning and thunder struck, but she waved her hand. "Fine, father, you're the most powerful being ever." The thunder stopped and she just rolled her eyes. "Gods, gotta love them. No matter how arrogant and stupid they may seem."

"Hey I take that offensively," Apollo muttered, and Artemis slapped his arm, causing him to smile slightly. The cab stopped and Apollo quickly got out. "Goodbye!" he said before disappearing off into the woods.

Artemis looked at me and hugged me. "Good luck my daughter. I have to leave, and you have to return to camp."

"Yeah, ok…but wait. I'm not a half-blood. I shouldn't be there…can't I stay with you?"

"No. I'm sorry." She kissed my forehead and helped me out the cab. Then she disappeared into the woods as well.

"NATALIE!" I heard Lyle call, and I turned toward the sound of his voice. He stood at the edge of camp, urging me toward him. "Come on! Where have you been?!"

"I could say the same to you!" I called back, walking over to him. He hugged me close and I buried my head into his chest. "I've missed you, fruity." I didn't see it, but I could feel him smile.

"I missed you too. Sorry I disappeared a lot; there's been a lot on my mind." He tilted my face and I smiled at him.

"Where's Hyna? Garret? I wanna let them know that I'm ok."

"Come on, we're all hanging out at their cabin. The twins, Derek, and, sadly, Annie, are there too."

"Oh joy. That's just I what I need: an evil bitch complaining about me the whole time, meanwhile flirting with my boyfriend. Just freaking great."

He laughed at me and hugged me to his side and we walked back to the camp. It was dark, but not too dark so we couldn't see. The cabin lights were still on, and mine was completely dark. Figured. I'd be pissed if someone went in there without my permission.

Lyle opened the door to Zeus's cabin for me and I went inside. Garret and Hyna were relaxed on one couch, Annie was sitting with Cyan and Mahogany on the bed, and Derek was on the floor by Hyna's feet. They all looked up as we walked in.

"Natalie! You're ok!" Garret jumped up and ran over to me, picking me up and spinning me. I laughed and screamed quietly.

"Put me down, Garret!" I yelled, and Hyna and the twins laughed. My best friend just rolled his eyes and sat on the floor with Derek. Garret did put me down (Thank the gods!) and we sat on the couch. Hyna smiled and took my hand.

"We were all worried about you."

"What really happened? I just know that I woke up with my mom and uncle Apollo."

"Well," she began. "The Cyclops hit you with his club, causing you to knock out. The twins killed him with their slingshots, awesome sight to watch by the way, while Garret and I tried waking you up. Then this silver lighting appeared, probably your mother, and it took you away. It felt good, at least to me, so I didn't object. Garret was worried as Hell though, so you probably gotta let him know a few extra times that you're alright."

"I'm fine," I assured everyone, and Annie just snorted.

"You're not fine in the head. You're a damn daughter of Kronos, and you're not sitting on a throne in MountOlympus. Something must be wrong with you." And with that, Queen Bitchy left. Good damn riddance!


	9. Chapter 9

"On that note…" Mahogany said slowly, sliding down next to Lyle. "Let's talk about…what's going on with the gods."

"What about them?" I looked at him.

"The war…we need to your power to help fight with them. But you don't know if you can control your power or not," Hyna said, sighing. "And I know that the Cyclops like to kick your ass. If we can't battle them, how can we battle Kronos?"

"Well," Garret said with a shrug. "Maybe some gods will help."

"I know my mother will," I said proudly. "And I'm sure she could convince my uncle. Plus, the other gods will already be fighting. Why do we need to worry about my power?"

"They'll be attacking the camp," Derek informed me. "If they weaken us, they weaken the gods. It's complicated, not a direct line of simplicity, but it's something." I saw Hyna staring at him, eyes melting. Oh. Fuck.

"Hyna," I said, nudging her arm. She blinked a few times before blushing and shaking her head.

"Sorry," she said quietly, then sat straighter. "Derek's right, though the vocabulary wasn't necessary." He shrugged, smiling, and she continued, "But the idea of what he was saying was true. The gods would protect their home and we don't think that they'll protect ours. Chiron left the other day, really big deal, to go help. We've been running the camp, with Hestia sometimes appearing and giving us some help, but it's not often. This war isn't gonna end well, or soon." She turned to me. "So we need to get you a teacher. No matter what the cost."

"But…the only one who could teach me…"

"…is her father," Lyle finished, looking up at me. I felt the tears well up as I shook my head.

"He won't teach me unless I join him. I don't wanna join him!"

"It won't be for long," Cyan said, smiling sadly. "Plus we'll use it to fight against him."

"I'll go with her," Garret said, standing up. "I'm not letting her go alone."

Lyle just rolled his eyes at him. "What help are you going to do? He won't let you join. He'll think you're a spy."

Garret glared at him. "Why would you think that?" I saw his fists clench.

"Natalie's dream of you evil. If you go you WILL turn. She's the only one who could resist the pull, and even that would be hard. You need someone to go with her who could also resist the pull." He stood up as well.

"Oh yeah? And who would that be? You?" Garret snorted. "You're a son of Dionysus. I'm a son of Zeus. Would do you think would be more powerful to help?"

Lyle's face turned red with anger. We were all too stunned to say anything, to even stop them.

"I'm her best friend," Lyle growled. "I have been since we were kids. I care about her more then you do. I can protect her, and you can't. He'll brainwash you. I know he could, and will, because you actually LOVE her. I love her like a sister. It's different."

"Then Hyna can go, or the twins, or Derek!"

"Why do you have such a big complain about him going, Garret?" I managed to ask through my stunned silence, looking up at him. He stayed silent, and Lyle began to laugh.

"I think he's jealous!" Lyle kept laughing and I stood up, slapping his arm.

"Not nice to laugh," Cyan muttered, and he pulled Lyle down on the couch next to him. I took Garret's hand and I felt him relax.

"I have to agree with Lyle," I said quietly to him. "He'd be better to come along. He cares enough about me to not turn, but doesn't care enough to be turned. If that made any sense at all." I paused and looked up at him.

"I want to be able to protect you," he whispered, putting his forehead against mine. "You're my girlfriend, right? How come I can't take care of you."

"You'll be safer."

"I don't care about being safe. I care about you being safe. And I don't get a good vibe from Lyle over there."

"He's my best friend, Garret," I said with a sigh. "He's the person I trust most, not matter how much you don't wanna hear that."

I saw his face twist from anger, to pain, to jealousy, then back to anger. "Fine. Let him go with you. But when you get back…you're mine for me to protect. And only me."

I nodded. "Of course."

He smiled at that, and rocked me gently. I put my chin on his shoulder, and heard Hyna quietly say, "Aww…" We looked over at her and she acted as if she didn't do anything, causing Garret to roll his eyes.

Hopefully I made the right choice with whose life I wanted to put on the line. Because I knew that if I got there, and brought someone with me, we both had an equal chance of not getting out, even if I was Kronos's daughter. Heck, he tried to eat Zeus and the others, what's the chance of him not hurting us? As I looked over at my best friend, him on the couch talking to Cyan and Mahogany, I really felt deep in my gut that I had to bring him along. He was my best friend, and I trusted him with my life, with the fate of the world, right?

…right?


End file.
